I fashioned an old steel slide (off a swing set ) attached to a basement window (12 x 18 ) and put a upward swinging door on the outside.....Sure beat carting wood thru the house and downstairs to the wood furnace room....The old cat learned how to open the swinging door and would " slide " down the slide come up and scratch on the wood room door to be let in....That was some time ago, have a different house, and now use a pellet stove....No cat.....